MUNICH: May 10, 2017. A new smart technology compliance checker developed by Cargonaut to detect data errors in airwaybills is proving successful, according to Schiphol Airport Amsterdam head of Cargo Jonas van Stekelenburg.

Developed as part of the European Green Fast Lanes Project, Cargonaut and KLM Cargo are trialing a system that automatically inspects the content and format of shipment data on a truck route between Frankfurt and Amsterdam. They have discovered 80 percent of errors occur in only 20 percent of shipments.

"The Compliance Checker reduces delays in the supply chain and makes it more predictable and efficient for everyone," said van Stekelenburg (left of picture with Cargonaut executive director Nanne Onland).

The technology looks at data on both shipment and trucking levels based on airwaybill information and is compliant with European Union Customs rules as well the U.S. and other countries, he explained.

"The system recognizes different descriptions of a similar product and flags this," added Onland. "The term iron, for example, would provoke an alert, as this term is not compliant with Customs rules, whereas the term iron pipes would not cause an alert because it is compliant."

Air France KLM Cargo executive vice president Marcel de Nooijer said the verification tool allows his organization to be proactive rather than reactive and "keep to our promise and deliver the best quality throughout the shipment journey".

"With this insight, together with our partners, we can better target improvement initiatives, allowing us to quickly improve quality of data, and hence the predictability and speed of the chain from, to, and via Schiphol," continued Onland.

The European Green Fast Lanes Project is part of the Smart Cargo Mainport Program, which aims to find innovative schemes to improve cargo flow through Amsterdam, underpinned by transparent data exchange.